Posts in "Libertarianism"

Liberty activist Michael Maresco suggests on his Facebook page that Ron Paul receive the Cato Institute's annual "Friedman prize for advancing liberty." Considering Cato's tentative relationship with Ron Paul-type libertarians, and some downright vitriolic exchanges between excellent libertarian scholars from both the Mises and Cato Institues, giving the high-profile, unequivocally principled Paul the award would not only be more than justified, but helpful for mending some damaged fences.

Now, this shouldn't (seriously) be interpreted as a knock on Cato or Catoites. I'm well aware that the "feud" between the two libertarian camps is long-standing, I respect Cato's immense and principled contributions to liberty, and understand that they're two sides to every story. But unless Cato's New Year's Resolution is to cling onto old grudges and secure Beltway cocktail party invites, they ought to reach out to give Paul the Friedman Award to reach out to the growing constituency of anti-state, anti-war, anti-PC libertarians.

Several Days Old, but she is a very important activist that makes this interview more than worth listening to. We talk about everything from her personal advice to activists, to the non-aggression principle, the spiritual and moral justifications for liberty, and the implications of the LP's 2008 nomination of the far less radical Bob Barr. Part 2 here.

To those unfamiliar with Napolitano's program, it is the real deal. "Freedom Watch," is no wussified, watered-down version of liberty, but rather, a fearless upholding of classical liberalism in opposition to government theft, coercion, and mass murder.* Regular guests include Lew Rockwell, Tom Woods, Peter Schiff, and Ron Paul; YAL executive director Jeff Frazee has also appeared on the program.

A major vice of humanity is the inability of many people to admit they're wrong about--well-- anything!. You see it all the time in day-to-day life. An intellectually dishonest professor failing to take responsibility for a flawed mode of thinking. A "post-revolution" "bro," failing to take responsibility for treating women like slabs of meat. And most commonly, a politician failing to take responsibility for supporting failed economic policy, or an immoral war.

With such unsavory types among us, it's best to confine libertarian "conversion" attempts to decent folks. That is, people with enough integrity, intellect, and open-mindedness to look at alternatives ways of thinking. I had a great philosophical discussion with a very intelligent liberal tonight, and I think I made more headway than in 1000 discussions with young powermongers/state-suckups/political hacks.

1. Improve yourself.2. Stop subsidizing your enemy.3. Stop doing business with your enemy.4. Stop doing business with people who support your enemy.5. Support private alternatives to government services.6. Create parallel mechanisms to replace government functions.7. Expose the enemy among us.8. Master the issues.9. Have the moral courage to confront others.10. Get involved in campaigns designed to enlighten and enrage the public.11. Engage in civil disobedience.12. Find ways to avoid taxes.13. Pamphleteer.14. Write free-market novels and produce free-market movies.15. Consider becoming an expatriate.

Read the details on each of these ideas for withdrawing your consent from the state here.

Apart from the GOP "liberty forum," which includes as few as two or dozens of 2010 candidates depending upon whom you ask, there is little to offer in the way of choices in next year's elections. Thus, I'm excited to see Gerald Celente's prognosis of a 2010 "progressive-libertarian" third party arising. It's always good to be skeptical of any self-proclaimed "seer," but Celente not only says all the right things about liberty, but has a credible track record to boot.

Is statism evil? Absolutely, positively, and unexceptionably. As an anarcho-capitalist, I would go so far as to argue any state itself is intrinsically evil.

But I reserve a considerable amount of sympathy for the run-of-the-mill individual statist, certainly more than most of the libertarian folks on LewRockwell.com. By this, I don’t mean the narcissistic creeps running the government itself, but regular folks who don't think much about politics, or if they do, don't have the time or inclination to think outside of the carefully crafted MSNBC, NY Times, FOX News, Washington Post bubble.

If you'll excuse the personal note, my "story" is a big reason why I feel this way. I had the luxury of growing up with wonderful intellectual and moral influences. My grandfather, a top-flight architect working for the Egyptian government, saw the corruption and lies of the Egyptian state firsthand. My mother, the person whom I admire most, learned to despise war from an early age from her childhood memories of the Six-Day War. My father, born in a Nebraska farming town, meshes a strong work ethic and beautiful sense of compassion for all individuals similar to the "bleeding heart" free-market defense made by the gentle Ron Paul. All of these individuals contributed to my perception of liberty in their own unique way.

Well, no. But despite his severe prior transgressions, we should be happy that the highly-rated Beck is occasionally a critical thinker in the midst of a totally dumbed-down, platitude-and-cliche'-driven, modern "conservative movement."

Do you like long walks on the beach, anti-Fed rallies, and Austrian praxeology? If so, here's a new resource for you: Ron Paul Singles, a dating site promising to put the "love" back in "rEVOLution."

Well, maybe its a good resource. The site's homepage lists the following statistics:

Total Male Members: 607

Total Female Members: 156

That's nationwide, which means that, if you are a straight male, the chance of finding a compatible "Ron Paul single" in your area is virtually nil. Not that this is very surprising. The general paucity of libertarian women has been addressedbefore, although the attempts to do so tend to bring out social Marxist responses that libertarians are just too insensitive to "women's issues" or that libertarians are somehow socially inept.